Chapter XXXIV: The Kingdom's Greatest Fighter?

M-My head... Although yesterday was my birthday, I don't think I should have drunk so much. Why did I drink so much? Because I was in the presence of Benjamin and I could talk to someone after such a long time...

Speaking of yesterday, I have a question... Where the hell am I? I don't recognize this place... Wait... I do recognize it... This was my room in the first year of seminary before I started living with Julius. What am I doing here? Why am I undressed? This can't be...

"Father, are you awake?"

Beside me was Benjamin. W-Why is he undressed too? I can't believe I slept with him while I was drunk... Oh, God... I'm a scoundrel.

"Benjamin, if I did something last night, I'm sorry-"

"Why? Wait, are you thinking something weird?"

"Well, yes... We're-"

"You're undressed because you drank too much last night... Let me explain it to you..."

"W-Well, if you want to..."

"So, let's start from the beginning-"

Benjamin POV:

"Father, are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be alright? It's just that I started seeing two identical persons... Do you happen to have a twin brother?"

He's drunk... I just hope I won't be expelled for this...

"Father, I think it's better if I call your secretary and-"

"My secretary took that alcoholic Cesare home. I'm glad they finally stopped fighting and became close..."

"Father, are you alright?"

"You look amazing tonight... What do you say we take the law exam right now, hm?"

"I-I'm not prepared... I still need to review some laws and concepts..."

"It doesn't matter. You still have to take it, don't you?"

"It would be better if you went to rest, don't you think?"

"Me? I'm perfectly fine... You should rest, not me..."

"Father, forgive me..."

I carried Antonio on my shoulders and took him to his room. I can't believe my idol is so easy. Plus, he's really weak when it comes to drinking and quite pathetic. I guess that's what makes him seem like a hero, right?

Oh, damn it... I just bought this cassock and Antonio stained it with vomit... Anyway, it's not like I don't have another one, but I need to change... The thing is, he also stained the clothes underneath, and I can't make a fuss at this hour or I'll be punished by the formators... What should I do?

I brought Antonio to my room, placed him on the bed, and everything seemed calm until he started undressing...

"Father, don't you think you should-"

"It's too hot... Plus, it's almost June and temperatures are rising... Now, if you don't mind..."

"Father, at least leave your underwear on..."

"What? And let the little one die of heat? Not..."

"Oh, God... What should I do now?"

"Hm, you could undress as well. You know, I'll be your examiner, and I might be more lenient with you if I like what I see..."

"B-But-"

"Quiet... Do you want to pass the exam or not?"

I can't believe that even while drunk, Antonio has such a strong erection and his penis is so big... I just hope he doesn't do anything obscene tonight... I undressed as well and got into bed, which made Antonio start smiling.

"Hm, I guess Marcus would be proud that there's someone else with a smaller penis than his... Hahaha!"

"Well-"

"Just kidding, go to sleep. I won't do anything to you tonight, alright?"

"S-Sure..."

"Why do you seem so disappointed, Benjamin?"

"I-I'm not... Good night..."

"Good night!"

"So, Father, that's what happened last night... I just hope I didn't ruin your pride or anything, right?"

"No... I'm truly sorry for everything I did last night..."

Antonio POV:

I can't believe I'm so clumsy... How can I appear like this in front of him? And I even blackmailed him with the exam... I'm a scoundrel, what can I say...

After washing up and changing into the clothes brought by Marcus, who came in the morning to accompany me to the royal palace, I went to receive my noble title as Duke of Targoviste. The king looked quite well, even though he had drunk a lot the previous night... It seems he has the talent to quickly recover from a hangover. Cesare looked fine as well, as far as I could tell. Only I looked like a corpse just out of the grave... Well, only on the inside.

"We, King Gabriel, ruler of all Wallachia, decree that Antonio shall become the Duke of Targoviste. For this to be possible, Antonio must swear allegiance to the king... So, let the ceremony begin!"

The ceremony began with the recitation of an oath of allegiance to the king, which I spoke while kneeling, while the king stood with his sword in hand.

"I, Priest Antonio, leader of the Church in Wallachia, pledge unwavering loyalty and obedience to all commands issued by our king, Gabriel. Furthermore, I swear allegiance to the kingdom and vow to defend the realm of Wallachia to the best of my abilities. So help me God. May God bless the king!"

Then, I was elevated to the rank of Duke, receiving the insignia of the rank. I was given a rather long cloak, which I almost tripped on when I stood up, the Duke's sword, and another ring, a symbol of power.

Amidst the applause of those gathered, I was embraced by the king and the queen mother, and then the soldiers showed their respect by pledging loyalty to me and offering themselves body and soul to protect me... If it weren't for the king, I would have been content with a general, but now that he is the king, I can't lower my standards so much...

"Now, as I mentioned yesterday, today there will be a contest to determine the kingdom's best fighter. The winner will become the personal guard of Duke Antonio. So, let the competition begin..."

Dozens of young men showcased their talent to see who was the strongest fighter in the kingdom, which was extremely thrilling. People fought to prove their strength, and after a few hours, we reached the final. In the final, two masked individuals fought... One of them seemed extremely familiar. I don't know who this person is, but they fight exceptionally well... I really want to see them up close after the competition...

"Marcus, have you seen Cesare?"

"Yes, he's currently fighting in the arena... Didn't you recognize him?"

"Wait, that's him? Anyway, it seems like he's losing..."

"Indeed... Anyway, that doesn't matter, does it?"

"It matters for his dignity as a cardinal..."

After a few minutes, Cardinal Cesare was defeated. If he had asked for my advice, I would have told him not to fight, but there's nothing I can do now... The other masked fighter seems equally familiar, but I can't figure out if he is either...

"I request the winner to remove his mask in front of His Majesty..."

The winner seemed to listen to me and took off his mask, and when I saw who it was, I was extremely astonished... B-Benjamin defeated Cardinal Borgia?!

"B-Benjamin, is that you?"

"Yes, Your Highness... It seems I will become your guard, won't I?"

"T-That seems to be the case... However-"

"It seems to me that it's not enough... I believe people are interested in Antonio's fighting abilities, aren't they?" the king interrupted.

"What? I-"

People began applauding, so I had no choice but to try and fight. Honestly, I had taken some fencing classes after becoming a priest, but I never thought it would come in handy someday...

I started with a defensive stance, parrying before launching my attacks, of course. It seemed I was quite skilled, but he was too good... Or so I thought... My vampire instincts kicked in, and I started fighting ferociously. It was no longer about winning; it was about who lives and who dies.

"Y-Your Highness, I surrender... Please, calm down..."

"Silence! If you don't want to die, fight!"

After a few minutes, Benjamin was on the ground with me standing over him. Hmm, it seems I defeated my guard. The blood Vlad brought me last night wasn't enough, so I sampled a bit of Benjamin's blood. Just enough not to endanger his life.

"You're so sweet... I don't know why you have such a low grade in law... Maybe you're not Michael's type? Or maybe he doesn't try anything with his students?"

"W-What did you say?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter!"

Just as I lifted Benjamin from the ground, another problem emerged... A problem with red hair and blue eyes, to be exact.

"Antonio, what do you say... Can you be my rival?"

"Me? Your Majesty's rival?"

"Yes... What do you say? The generals have already started placing bets on who will win..."

"Hm... How about we make a bet ourselves?"

"Fine... Let's see... How about this? Whoever wins will dominate the other in bed tomorrow night, how does that sound?"

"Honestly? That sounds too simple... I propose that the loser be dominated while wearing a dress... What do you say?"

"For you, it could be a cassock, couldn't it?"

"Ha, only if I lose... If I win-"

I didn't have a chance to finish my sentence as the king launched an animalistic attack. But I didn't give up either, and I fought back with a combination of vampire and animalistic strength. I was already at an advantage, and I even managed to graze the king's clothing with my sword, which astonished the entire gathered crowd.

Now the king's chest was exposed... Well, more than just his chest... Almost his entire upper body was now on display. Lord, I thank you for this creation you have placed as the ruler over our small kingdom. Amen.

However, he seemed extremely exhausted, and for a moment, he knelt down. Taking advantage of the situation and seeing that I had the upper hand, I began to gaze at his regal body... Honestly, it surpasses Cesare's, or so I believe now... But what matters is that for a moment, I lost my focus and the next moment...

"Long live King Gabriel! Long live the greatest fighter of the kingdom!"

Wait, what? I had such a huge advantage, and now Gabriel is standing over me on the ground?

"Antonio... You just lost... You know what that means, don't you?"

"Y-Yes... It means... I guess there's no second chance, right?"

"No, Antonio... I'll be expecting you tomorrow night after the celebration..."

"Wait... You cheated!"

"It's not my fault... You had impure thoughts about my body. And it's also your fault that you ruined my clothes, don't you think?"

"You did it intentionally... I want a rematch..."

"You'll have it... Tomorrow night, if you know what I mean..."

After helping me up, I was proclaimed the greatest fighter of Wallachia, of course, second only to the king... That scoundrel Gabriel cheated just to make me lose. It's not fair to me... Cheating is a sin, so-"

"Antonio, from now on, you'll be my confessor, right?"

"Well, until I leave for the Vatican... Anyway, I'll come to visit four times a year..."

"Enough to confess to you, isn't it? I really want to do it now... Are you okay with that?"

"If you say so..."

After arriving at the king's private chapel, we went to the confessional for him to confess. Well, I can say that the statue I gifted him had a prominent place in his chapel, and his chapel was almost entirely made of gold and precious stones, especially the altar...

"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned!"

"I'm listening, what have you done?"

"I have fallen in love with my confessor and cheated to make him my subordinate... I have also been jealous of his relationship with his secretary and had planned to kill him, but I'm afraid he might hate me..."

"The sin of cheating is very grave... Also, to think of killing Marcus?! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you... Trust in the power of God, and as penance, I want you to whip yourself with a lash forty times and say 'Ave Maria' ten times."

"Do you even know who I am?! How dare you ask me to whip myself, do you think I'm some kind of prostitute?!"

"Yes... You wanted to buy pleasure through blackmail, so that's what you deserve... Now, if you excuse me..."

"Could you do it for me?"

"No... You have to do it yourself. I'll check tomorrow night if you have done your penance... Now, I'm busy, so I have to leave!"

"Wait!"

I ignored him and left for the Episcopal Palace, followed by Marcus and Cesare... That cheating Gabriel really annoys me, but a bet is a bet, so...